How difficult is it to install the traveler kit for the Wave? Please bear in mind that I am someone with zero mechanical skills and, until recently, had never even heard of a rivet gun. Assuming that I am able to get ahold of one, is this an idiot proof operation? I would have the dealer do it but I keep my boat on the beach around a 3 hour drive from the nearest dealer and do not own a trailer. I have read about the traveller kit and think it would come in very handy in higher winds, but I have been hesitating on the purchase due to concerns about installation. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks!

It's not too bad to put on, but you will need a substantial rivet gun to pull the stainless rivets. It is worth renting a good one from a tool shop if you do not have one. Also, pick up a few extra rivets in case you have a few mistakes. To keep the head of the counter sunk rivets in the track, you need a few washers the same size as the rivet head. You will place these on top of the rivet, over the shank before you place the rivet in the rivet gun. Do not pull the rivet until it is in the hole you drilled. Measure twice, drill once.

Thanks - though that all sounds a bit too intimidating for me. Think I'll have to pass on the traveler, at least until I can figure out someone competent who I can corral to do it for me. I don't want to risk messing up my boat.

As stated previously, you really need a good rivet gun. Also, the track is narrow and I had to grind down the head of my riveter to get it to fit in the track. The rivet heads that Hobie supplied were too large for the holes in the trackâ€”the heads protruded such that the traveler car would hit. So, I got out the grinding wheel and reduced the radius of the rivet heads.

The traveler works quite well. Just find someone with a good rivet gun and a grinding wheel (or buy different rivets), and you will have the thing mounted in 1 hour.

Thanks for all of the valuable input. So, Matt, if you happen to be monitoring this thread, I would be curious about your reactions - sounds like the traveler kit is a nice addition to the boat, but that there are some installation issues - any plans to revamp it at all to make it easier to install? Given that the Wave serves as an "intro" boat, the installation process may be a bit much for the owners such as myself who comprise the target market (other than the institutional market) and don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing (zero experience in my case). Just curious whether this is perceived as an issue by Hobie and, if so, whether there are any plans to address it? As I mentioned earlier, I think the traveler would be really useful for me, given that I love sailing the Wave in higher winds, but the description of the installtion issues has been holding me back. Would love to get your take on it. Many thanks.

I cannot think of a solution for this that makes it novice-user-friendly. This just may require dealer or professional service. Not many of our kits are designed for end user installation actually. Best to have a dealer do it.